Web

Apple Gatekeeper Bug Suggests Sleepy Approach To OS Security

In-brief: A security hole in Apple’s Gatekeeper security software could allow malicious programs to be run on OS X, including the latest release, El Capitan. The researcher who discovered it says that Apple has fallen well behind rival Microsoft in providing security for its operating system.

Update: Photo Bombed Retailers CVS and Costco Admit Customer Data Stolen

  In-brief: Pharmacy chain CVS and discount chain Costco acknowledged this week that a July security incident involving a third party firm that provides online photo processing and printing services resulted in the theft of some customer data. (Updated to add comment from Staples and CVS. PFR Sept. 16, 2015) 

Panic in the Nursery: Research finds Baby Monitors make Easy Targets

In-brief: Researchers from the security firm Rapid7 revealed the findings of a survey of common wireless baby monitors and nanny-cams, and found a host of serious and, in some cases, remotely exploitable vulnerabilities.

Iran Games Google’s 2FA in Attacks on EFF, Others

In-brief: Hackers believed to be linked to the government of Iran are using sophisticated attacks on Google’s two-factor authentication technology to break into the e-mail accounts of individuals within the country and in the Iranian diaspora, according to Citizen Lab.

Facebook Awards $100k for Fix to Common C++ Flaw

In-brief: Facebook said on Wednesday that it was doubling the amount of its Internet Defense Prize, awarding $100,000 to a group of researchers from Georgia Tech for work on static type casting vulnerabilities.